There are many instances where a user may want to dim or darken a mirror assembly to enhance visibility. In automotive applications, for example, a user may want to darken a rearview mirror assembly at night to help reduce the glare caused by headlights or other impinging light sources. For these applications, as well as others, a dimmable mirror assembly that can be darkened and lightened without having to be physically adjusted or flipped like a prism mirror may be used. Such a dimmable mirror assembly may include control features that permit a user to manually activate, control, and deactivate the dimming functionality of the assembly. While a dimmable mirror assembly of this kind can certainly be manually operated as needed, the convenience of using the assembly may be improved by programming it to function a particular way in certain situations.